Russia-Ukraine Crisis: President Putin Calls For Direct Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed the holding of direct talks with Ukraine. In a statement to the media at the Kremlin in Moscow (Russia), on May 11, 2025, the Russian President said, the talks to start in Istanbul on May 15, 2025 “without preconditions” are aimed at achieving “long lasting peace” and “eliminate the root causes” of the three-year conflict. “We are proposing that Kyiv resumes direct negotiations without any preconditions,” the Russian president told reporters. “We offer the Kyiv authorities to resume negotiations on Thursday, in Istanbul.” Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has welcomed the proposal, but reiterated his call for a ceasefire before any talks happen. US President Donald Trump has also saluted the Russian offer saying it is, “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine" and he would "work with both sides to make sure it happens". The offer comes hours after the leaders of Ukraine, France, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. The leaders, who were meeting in Kyiv, said their call is backed by United States President Donald Trump and threatened “massive” new sanctions on Moscow if it did not agree with their plan. President Putin, had however, rejected the proposal, slamming European “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric”, before outlining the counter-proposal f...